Grieving mothers' heartbreak fuels heart campaign

Donna Parker and Lesley Mease say they have a "life sentence of heartbreak"

Two mothers who met over the "horrific heartbreak" of losing their two children to cardiac arrest are working together to provide free screenings.

Donna Parker's daughter Vicky Parker, 30, died in August 2023. The mother-of-two, from Dalton-in-Furness, Cumbria, had an undiagnosed heart condition.

Two weeks later, Lesley Mease's son Wilson Shepherd, 25, who lived a few miles away in Barrow, also died.

The two women said they had a "life sentence of heartbreak" but added they "were meant to meet" and encourage young people to get their hearts screened.

Ms Parker worked full time as a teaching assistant before her death.

"Like all working mums she was always busy, but she was sociable and was always cooking for people," her mother said.

Vicky Parker was a mum of two girls aged five and 11 at the time she passed away

Describing the moment the two mums met, Mrs Parker said she looked into Miss Mease's eyes and "it was like looking in a mirror... there was an emptiness there".

"She has the same look I have in my eyes," she said, adding: "It is the most strange feeling.

"The same time that Lesley found her son at home was the same time that Vicky's funeral started.

"I said to Lesley that we were meant to meet. Obviously not in the way we want to meet but it's the way we have."

'There was no warning'

Miss Mease described Wilson as "young, fit, healthy and well".

She said her son was a keen triathlete and had just achieved a first class honours degree in electrical and electronic engineering.

"Sadly, he did not get the chance to finish his masters," she said.

"Not in a million years did I think this would happen to my son.

"There was no warning, no symptoms - it has been truly horrific, excruciatingly painful and a life sentence of heartache.".

Lesley Mease said her son, Wilson, had achieved a first class honours degree in electrical and electronic engineering

Both mothers have created fundraising saving pots in the names of their children.

The funds are then given to organisation Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY), who provide professional heart specialists with equipment.

So far, they have secured three free screening days for young people aged between 14 and 35 years old.

The ECG screening tests, which will be held in Cumbria, look for signs of abnormalities which are then sent on to cardiologists.

Heart conditions in younger people:

• Every week in the UK, 12 young people (that is, aged 35 and under) die suddenly from a previously undiagnosed heart condition

• A total of 80% of these deaths will occur with no prior symptoms

• About 315,000 young people have been tested by CRY since it was set up in 1995

• This has identified more than 1,000 young people with potentially life-threatening conditions

Source: Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY)

"Too many young people die suddenly from something that could have been identified," Mrs Parker continued.

"These pots are open and we want to continually do this.

"Its not about scaring people but the awareness needs to be out there so young people and young people's parents know that anyone is at risk.

"A simple ECG can pick something up that could save lives."